If this doesn't piss you off....

...I doubt anything will."After six years of childless marriage, John and Cynthia Burke of Newark decided to adopt a baby boy through a state agency. Since the Burkes were young, scandal-free and solvent, they had no trouble with the New Jersey Bureau of Children’s Services until investigators came to the line on the application that asked for the couple’s religious affiliation.

John Burke, an atheist, and his wife, a pantheist, had left the line blank. As a result, the bureau denied the Burkes’ application. After the couple began court action, however, the bureau changed its regulations, and the couple was able to adopt a baby boy from the Children’s Aid and Adoption Society in East Orange.
So far so good. It was a totally stupid restriction but it’s now fixed as far as the NJ Children’s Services is concerned……..but….one of “agents of the god” is appalled and uses his power to correct this offense to the spy spook.Last year the Burkes presented their adopted son, David, now 31 months, with a baby sister, Eleanor Katherine, now 17 months, whom they acquired from the same East Orange agency. Since the agency endorsed the adoption, the required final approval by a judge was expected to be pro forma. Instead, Superior Court Judge William Camarata raised the religious issue.

In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes’ right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes’ “high moral and ethical standards,” he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that “no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience.” Despite Eleanor Katherine’s tender years, he continued, “
'the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being.' ”
How about the parent’s influence in raising the child to accept the irrational concept of a supreme being? It would seem that would equally effect a child's free choice to worship – or not - as they see fit.
WTF is wrong with this Camarata asshole? Does he also believe that children born to atheist parents be removed from the home by child services - that would seem to be the "logical" thing to do?
This is something I would expect in Saudi Arabia not New Jersey, USA. This decision needs to be overturned ASAP and someone should begin impeachment proceedings on this theoshit for brains judge.

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The first poster on the original article (http://www.irreligion.org/2008/01/02/can-atheists-be-parents/ ) said it was a 30 year old story - he made the mistake because he assumed the son was 30 years old instead of 30 months. It's is my impression that this is recent event not a 30 year old one.

The very fact that a thirty year old case is completely indistinguishable from something that would happen now is still pretty pissed-off worthy. If you were told that it happened last week how many of you would be surprised by it? The only real difference today is when judges take children away from an atheist parent in divorces, they know to lie about the reason.